Bottled water no longer PC at upscale eateries?

[Robin Garr]

I touched on this trend in last week's LEO story about Food Miles. Today it's in the New York Times. The Times reads LEO! Who knew?

But seriously: What do you think? Bottled water has never been as big a deal at Louisville restaurants, perhaps because Louisville Water Co. water is actually pretty good. But would it impress you if your favorite local eatery made this switch? Would you be tempted to order locally sparkled seltzer?

Fighting the Tide, a Few Restaurants Tilt to Tap Water
By MARIAN BURROS
The New York Times
Published: May 30, 2007

DON'T bother asking for Fiji, San Pellegrino or any other designer water at either Incanto, a restaurant that opened in San Francisco in 2002, or at Poggio, which opened in Sausalito, Calif., two years later.

All their water comes out of the tap. It's filtered before it reaches the table, but it's from the public water system, just the same.

"Serving our local water in reusable carafes makes more sense for the environment than manufacturing thousands of single-use glass bottles for someone to use once and throw away," Incanto explains at its Web site.

These two Bay Area restaurants were pretty much alone in kicking the bottle habit until Alice Waters, the godmother of things organic, sustainable and local, banned bottled still water at Chez Panisse in Berkeley last year and started serving only house-made sparkling water this year. Then the press took notice. Now other California restaurants, like Nopa in San Francisco, are following suit. Even an ice cream shop - Ici, in Berkeley - has jumped on the non-bottled-water wagon.

And now, with a little push from Ms. Waters, an important New York City restaurant is coming on board.

It's a big move in the restaurant industry, which, if you extrapolate from the amount of water it buys, takes in at least $200 million to $350 million from bottled water a year, according to the restaurant consultant Clark Wolf.

Full story in The New York Times

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Sounds like a good idea to me and they've gotten some press out of it to boot.

Our tap water (and water we use to make tea and drip and french press coffee) is tap water. We use a Culligan filtration system on it first: Carbon filter, particle filter and then reverse osmosis purification. Then we mix a bit of 'virgin' city water back into it so that those lovely coffee and tea ions have some minerals to bond to.
We do sell glass bottles of Italian imported mineral water.

[Robin Garr]

We use a Culligan filtration system on it first:

Not to pick on you, Matthew, but because I'm seriously curious: Why bother? Louisville's city water, by every standard I've read or heard of, is unusually good for municipal water. Even as a hard-core "foodie," I see no need to filter our water at home. Do you really think it makes a difference?

At one time Louisville Water Co. water was rated 2nd best tasting in the contiguous states, lost to Seattle. I will have to find that article buried in my archives somewhere.

I have to say from experience, I've tested many different water supplies around the area and you might as well drink water from your pool! The chlorine level in most tap water is as high if not higher than that of most people's pools. Not to mention floride which taken in and of itself is highly toxic!
Last year I spoke with a nurse from Louisville who told me that one of the worst things you can put into your body is tap water. I agree!
I know we all have our own opinions, but for me I only drink Reverse Osmosis filtered or Distilled water.

I can say from experience, you might as well drink water from your swimming pool if you're going to drink tap water.
I have tested water around the region and the chlorine levels are as high or higher in some areas as your local swimming pool. To each his own, but for me its Reverse Osmosis or distilled water only!

chad, are you testing indiana or louisville water? Louisville is one of the highest rated for cleanliness in the country...

I do think it makes a difference. I can taste the difference.
I do think city water is great, but I want to take the extra step to ensure an excellent cup of coffee or tea.

And (while I haven't tested the local water) there is the issue of chemicals and other non H2O substances in the water.

I agree the water in Louisville is clean, but what do you think they use to clean it and kill bacteria? Filtration to an extent, but clorine to kill bacteria and germs. Clean or not I'm not drinking pool water. Don't take my work for it test it yourself. Or better yet, collect rain water and drink it, tell me theres no difference then. Clorine and Floride are in themselves very toxic, small doses or not its not healthy.

Glad to see this post as we have been discussing the topic in The Oakroom for a couple of weeks now. We were pouring bottled water, Panna and San Pelligrino, gratis as part of the meal. But, with the lack of recycling available and the petrol dollars associated with shipping from Italy, we decided to go back to our reverse osmosis machine. For the luxury effect that bottled water added, we will intead focus on water condiments: essential oils, juices, fresh herbs and local produce.

Jerry Slater
Director of Restaurants
Seelbach Hillton

[Robin Garr]

... we decided to go back to our reverse osmosis machine. For the luxury effect that bottled water added, we will intead focus on water condiments: essential oils, juices, fresh herbs and local produce.

Cool! I'd love to know more about that ... will you offer diners a choice of aromatic and flavorful garnishes, or just surprise them, Jerry?

Any hope of local or house-made sparkling water? I do love bubbles in my H2O ...

There will be a caddy each night with at least four seasonal garnishes. Imagine cucmber juice, fresh mint leaves, orange syrup, and lemon-tarragon oil, just for example. The chefs will have there full plan out next week. They have even been working on a possible mineral water and sparkling is definitely planned, just trying to decide on natural bubbles (yaest/sugar method) or more likely old fashioned seltzer bottles.

Jerry Slater
Director of Restaurants
Seelbach Hilton

[Robin Garr]

There will be a caddy each night with at least four seasonal garnishes. Imagine cucmber juice, fresh mint leaves, orange syrup, and lemon-tarragon oil, just for example. The chefs will have there full plan out next week. They have even been working on a possible mineral water and sparkling is definitely planned, just trying to decide on natural bubbles (yaest/sugar method) or more likely old fashioned seltzer bottles.

Sounds great ... I wouldn't mind dropping by to do a little article on that, assuming nobody else (ahem) does it first. Want to shoot me an E-mail at rgarr@louisvillehotbytes.com?

Chad,

Please clarify, are you speaking of chlorine as it pertains to water purification? Most municipal water systems (including LWC) have switched to the disinfectant Chloramine for two main reasons: First, it is much longer lasting so it continues to provide a disinfectant action in the supply pipes where chlorine typically loses its power to disinfect. Second, it does not react with organics as readily as chlorine. The reaction products of organics and chlorine were very toxic to humans thus the switch to chloramine.

Sodium fluoride has pretty much gone the way of the Dodo in water fluoridation programs around the country, hexafluorosilicic acid and hexafluorosilicate which is the salt sodium of H2SiF6 is more common now. That "commies are poisoning the water hole" hysteria should have been retired with the Cold War.